Desert and Desertion
by eskimobee
Summary: April 1998. A newborn baby boy is found barely alive in a local fly-tipping site. Rated for language.
1. April 1998

My added characters: Amelia Stokeheart, Louis Renfield, Toby Geddes (DNA tech), Mark Sera (Level 3 CSI), Jack Dower (Level 2 CSI), Aria Keys

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April 1998

Wailing sirens filled the night air, red and blue lights fluttered across the ebony skyline. A woman, clutching a bundle to her chest ran through the desert, evading her inevitable capture. She stumbled into a dump site, and placed her bundle carefully into an old microwave box. Pulling some tattered fabric from one of the piles, she stuffed the box. The sirens were getting louder, the lights brighter. She ran, leaving behind regret and the only man she ever loved.

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~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

"Cath, I think I found something." Nick shouted over the noise of the search and rescue helicopter, flying overhead. Catherine ran over and saw where Nick was pointing with his torch.

"You think this is where she stashed the drugs?"

Nick shrugged and knelt beside the box, he opened the flaps to reveal a bundle of fabric. Carefully, piece by piece, he removed loose fabric. Something within the box moved, causing the two to spring back, and Nick to reflexively draw his gun. Catherine moved some more of the fabric back and saw what was inside.

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

"Infant male, approximately five days old found in a trash dump site. Extremely dehydrated, mild pneumonia, lack of pupil response."

"Ok, Joey put him over there let's get fluids in him and some warm blankets." The on-call attending directed the paramedics, then turned to the CSIs. "We'll do our best to get him back to health. Any idea of identity, or know who the mother is?" both shook their heads. The attending nodded grimly, thanked them and rushed to treat the baby.

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

"Is the baby your's, Amelia?"

"What baby?" the cokehead spat

"The baby we found in that microwave box you put it in."

"No." She looked away. "I found it, dead. In the street, so I put it in the box to bury it. Would have done a better job if you pigs hadn't been smokin' me out."

"The kid was alive, or were you just too high to recognise it?"

"You said was, did I kill it?" she raised a brow, seemingly unaffected

"No. The kid's fighting for its life in hospital, a couple more hours you'd be facing a murder charge. So far, just neglect."

"What if I said I knew who birthed the kid?" she folded her arms, and leaned back in her chair.

"You know who the mother is?"

"For a price, sweetheart." She winked, dead-eyed

Brass snapped and slammed his fist on the table "The kid could have died, we need to know who the mother is so we can see if we can reunite them. I don't have time for your bullshit."

"Language, Jimmy-boy. Just so you know, I'm related to the kid, in some way. That's all you're getting 'til you give me something."

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

"I got a familial DNA match to a Louis Renfield. Guy's in the system for possession, couple of DUIs and an assault charge." Toby Geddes, the DNA tech said

"Well, Amelia Stokeheart says she's related to the baby." Nick replied

"Both are a match to the maternal side, but neither are themselves related." Toby continued, pushing his glasses up his face, an old habit, when finishing a report.

"Thanks, Toby, I'll be sure to tell Grissom."

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

The four CSIs gathered in the room (Catherine Willows, Gil Grissom, Jim Brass and Mark Sera) were reviewing the case facts. (Nick Stokes and Warrick Brown were in the field).

"So, we've got Amelia Stokeheart and Louis Renfield making up the maternal DNA profile. We need to find this kid's mother." Gil said, quietly, with a subtle trace of urgency.

"The dump site we found the baby at was two blocks from where Stokeheart was squatting." Catherine interjected, putting a collection of aerial maps on the table "What are the odds the baby came from one of the houses around?"

"So Stokeheart was squatting somewhere near relatives who had a baby." Jim summarised "Then she took the baby and left it in that box? Why?"

"Arguments." Mark spoke up, his eyes glassy. The other CSIs looked at him to continue "Stokeheart's file says she was in care for a few years, violent domestic situation, mother eventually got custody back after the father died from a meth overdose. A new baby can put a strain on a relationship, make arguments easier to happen. A simple flashback to the scared kid hiding in the closet would possibly provoke her to try to 'save' the kid."

A few glances between the other 3 "Makes sense." Catherine said "We just need to find Amelia's relatives, and hopefully the kid's parents."

At that moment, Jack Dower came through the door, with a bundle of papers. "I've got a possible ID for the kid's parents."

"Darren and Libby Holden, married for sixteen months, celebrated the birth of a baby boy just over a week ago, left him with a baby sitter for the weekend to go to LA. Came home six hours ago, reported the two missing." Catherine read aloud

"They went on vacation leaving their few day old baby with a sitter?" Mark raised a brow

"No, the reason they went there was for medical treatment. Darren has a brain stem tumour which he's getting specialised treatment for in LA."

"He can't get the treatment here?" Gil frowned

"No, it's a specialised private clinic, apparently it's his only chance of survival. They're also able to deal with the symptoms and side-effects. Apparently it's not just a sitter either. It is a specialised carer, who is especially trained to care for newborn infants."

"Obviously some people have the money to throw around." Mark muttered

"Possible motive for Stokeheart to take the baby." Gil stood up and wrote on the evidence board "Hide him, make some ransom demand, get the money, blow it all on coke."

"Well, Stokeheart was not the babysitter. But, it was someone connected to the family. Aria Keys. Gave them an extremely reduced rate. Sixty bucks for the whole weekend, plus any food she wanted, and somewhere to live."

"That's generous. From both parties. Maybe a few more Hamiltons would've meant the boy's safety." Jim scoffed

"Well, Keys is in the wind. Possibly an accomplice of Stokeheart?" Jack said "Or could be Stokeheart had an accomplice and whoever they are, took Keys."

"Well, I guess we'll have to let the evidence pave the way." Gil finished

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

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	2. Unfolding

Some rather lovely reviews, thanks! Here's the next wee bit...

Enjoy!

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The Stokeheart-Renfield family tree was a complicated affair, Toby had come in and sat down to explain it to the CSIs (and us lovely readers):

"Ok. Thomas and Louis Renfield are brothers, and Thomas married Carey Jones. They are Libby's parents. Thomas was killed in Vietnam in '65, leaving Carey and an 8 month old Libby behind. Carey remarried in '73 to a Joseph Stokeheart , They had a boy, James in late '74 and Amelia was born three years later in '77. Joseph died in '92 from, as Mark said, a meth overdose."

"So, she would have been about 15, enough for her to be easily impressionable, maybe easily influenced into drugs herself." Catherine calculated quickly

"Right." Jim absent-mindedly stroked his chin "What do we have on Keys?"

"Not much, DMV records, sitter agency file..." he trailed off with a shrug

"You got an address?" Jim asked, a little impatient

"Yeah, it's all in there. I sent the results to the undersheriff."

"Thanks, Toby." Said Catherine, giving Jim 'the look', as Toby backed out of the room.

To which he asked "What?"

"You were a little rude." Catherine said matter-of-factly.

That minute, two phones buzzed, and Catherine and Gil were called out.

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

The grey walls of the holding cell were covered in cracks and scratches. Amelia's head was swimming from withdrawal. She needed a kick. Badly. Her nails scraped against her skin. Arms. Neck. Face. Skull. She bent double arm curled in the corner, clutching her stomach. The bowl of mushed leftover food that had been pushed through the door several hours ago, lay untouched on the other side of the room.

He was back.

Useless. Ugly. Dirty.

The words in her head echoed in the small room. The bolt slid back. Foot steps. Door closed. She braced for the belt.

It never came.

"Amelia?" Her eyes raised to a blurred figure kneeling beside her. She put her hands shakily to her clothes, and started to unzip the jumpsuit. A hand covered hers. "Amelia, what are you doing?"

"I know what you're here for, just don't prolong things."

"I just came in to see why you're not eating."

"The food is poisoned."

"I can assure you, it's not."

"It is. He always puts bleach and arsenic in it when I've been bad. I can smell it, so I don't eat it."

"Ok. Who's poisoned your food?"

"Joseph. My owner."

"Do you mean your father?"

"Yes. But I am not anyone's daughter. Only property to be bought and sold."

"Amelia, your father has been dead for six years."

"I need coke. Now."

"You don't need it."

"I do. It makes me forget him, forget everything. Makes me feel good."

"You need to eat."

"No. The food is poisoned."

"I've already told you it's not."

The room was still the interview room, the mirror reflected her sunken face and she looked at the plate on the table. A burger. Fries. Soda.

Her hand floated over the plate and snatched back. She gulped and lifted a small fry, and nibbled it. No bleach. No arsenic.

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

Mark Sera turned from the glass and walked out of the room. He wandered back to the lab, and went to the DNA analysis room. He found Toby standing over a microscope, his glasses on the top of his head.

"Hey, man."

"Hi." Toby replied

"Got anything?"

"Not really, just doing some double, triple and quadruple checking."

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason?" he laughed a little "I'm just really, really careful. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just, that kid." Mark shook his head "That's just it. She's just a kid."

"She's 21."

"And she's been an addict for eight years. That we know about. Her first possession charge was at 13, while in care. She was rehoused, put in another home, and slipped under the radar. Then about six months before her mother regained custody, she was caught carrying with intent to distribute. Doesn't give details, but she was given community service."

"So, so far, she's escaped time?"

"So far."

"You think this time she's lucked out?"

"Maybe." Mark mumbled "I guess I kinda feel sorry for her. But I guess sometimes you just gotta accept a lost cause is a lost cause."

"Hey, come on. This isn't you. Where's the guy I know who stood defiant in the eyes of defeat? Struggled against a broken home to come out smelling of roses?"

"That vision you have of me is through rose coloured glasses. I know a lost cause when I see one. If I wanted to waste my time helping people like that, I'd have gone into counselling."

"Really?" Said a familiar voice from the doorway

Mark winced "What all did you hear, Catherine?"

"You think Amelia is a lost cause, and a waste of your time."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, however you meant it, I'd be inclined to agree with you. But I have to be objective, and ask you to keep your private thoughts, private."

"Yeah. Sorry."

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

It was the first time in six years that Amelia had been completely sober. She could still feel the niggling in the background as the last of the coke faded from her system. Her hands shook a little and her wrists were skeletal. She looked up to the mirror, and saw her gaunt, drawn face. She'd only had a few fries, and a couple of tiny bites of the burger. However, she had quickly finished the soda.

There was some paper and a pen lying on the table. She knew they wanted it written out. Why she had taken the baby. She honestly didn't know. One minute she was standing outside the house, watching through the window as the baby was put to bed, the next she was running away, with a warm bundle clutched to her chest.

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

"…Caucasian female, mid 30s, GSW to the lower right abdomen… Fluids…"

Beat.

"…10 of adrenaline…"

Beat.

"…Swab… push 5 more."

Beat.

"…Found some ID, name is…"

Beat.

"…You can go in and see her…"

Beat.

"…No use, she's been out for almost a week…"

Beat.

"Aria?"

~~CSI~~CSI~~CSI~~

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End file.
